Evolution, transitions, and volvocine algae

Volvox, the Fierce Roller, is a model organism for the evolution of multicellularity and cellular differentiation.
I am a biologist who studies the evolution of biological complexity using Volvox and related algae as a study system. I blog about evolutionary biology, astrobiology, philosophy of biology, skepticism, academia and academic publishing, intelligent design and other forms of creationism, and whatever else happens to be on my mind.Read More…

EVENTS

If you really want me to not trust you (a rant)

Tell me you want to discuss something contentious on the phone, then go dark when I tell you I’d rather communicate by email. This has happened to me twice lately, once with a business I’ve criticized here on the blog, and once with a member of the staff here at Georgia Tech. What is it that’s so important that you want to schedule a phone call across five time zones, but suddenly a lot less important when I ask you to put it in writing?

You’re “interested and concerned” about the content of my blog post, but won’t communicate in a manner that would leave a written record of your concerns? You want to explain a university policy over the phone rather than simply send me a pdf of said policy? No and no.

I fully appreciate that some things really are better discussed over the phone, especially when the conversation is likely to evolve in unpredictable ways (for example, when unanticipated answers lead to followup questions). But I don’t see any reason to think that would be the case for either of these conversations. You have concerns…what are they? You have a policy…where can I find it? Your reluctance to have your words documented does not inspire my confidence. It’s too easy for me to think that the reason is that you’d rather not leave proof of what you said.

Technophobia? I never liked texting. Never used it. I prefer either phone or email. When I want to get something done I would prefer the phone except for the damn phone trees. For communicating with family I prefer email (like I’ll be in town Friday, are you free?), or when I don’t care about the response time.
As far as documenting “Your call is being recorded for training purposes.”